Will Pipes Freeze in Woodford County, IL? 58 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Woodford County
In a normal year Woodford County, IL gets 58 nights at or below 20°F, the point where bare pipes in a garage, attic or outside wall start to freeze. That is more than 70% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to March, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 134 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 58 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 26 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 10 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 58 nights of risk to 26 nights. A 12 ft heat-tape kit runs $17 to $37; an average burst-pipe repair is about $500.
Month by month
Nights at or below 20°F in a normal year.
First 32°F night is usually around 10/17, last around 04/26. For 20°F: 11/17 to 03/24.
How cold Woodford County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 19°F; the coldest month, January, averages 16°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, November, December: 26 nights a year, and 10 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16°F | 20°F | 30°F | 39°F | 51°F | 61°F | 64°F | 62°F | 54°F | 42°F | 32°F | 22°F |
Woodford County next to its neighbours
Marshall County, IL, 29 km north, gets 47 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodford County, IL | - | 134 nights | 58 nights | 16°F |
| Marshall County, IL | 29 km north | 122 nights | 47 nights | 18°F |
| Tazewell County, IL | 41 km southwest | 124 nights | 52 nights | 17°F |
| McLean County, IL | 45 km southeast | 132 nights | 57 nights | 16°F |
| Putnam County, IL | 46 km north | 126 nights | 51 nights | 16°F |
| Peoria County, IL | 47 km west | 127 nights | 54 nights | 17°F |
| Livingston County, IL | 57 km east | 124 nights | 53 nights | 17°F |
Woodford County within IL
Woodford County ranks 19 of 102 IL counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Jo Daviess County, IL at 76 nights, with a 14°F average winter low. The fewest is Alexander County, IL: 21 nights, winter lows near 29°F. At 734 ft, Woodford County sits 102 ft above the state's median county elevation of 632 ft.
What to do here
- Treat it as a building fix, not a night-of routine: insulate, heat tape, seal crawlspace vents.
- An automatic leak shutoff pays for itself if one burst is avoided.
- Know where the main shutoff is before the first hard freeze.
The dates to be done by: when freeze season starts and ends.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Minonk, IL, 20 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. Why elevation is part of the blend: how county numbers are made.